Marquette Park man held on $2M bail in taxi-driver murder case

Geoff ZiezulewiczTribune reporter

A Marquette Park man was ordered held on $2 million bail in Cook County bond court Sunday in the fatal shooting of a taxi driver last year.

Gregory James, 29, of the 6400 block of South Richmond Street, is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Edwin Obazuaye, a 48-year-old Forest Park man, on March 14, 2013, according to county prosecutors and court records.

An unnamed co-defendant, whose case is pending, called Obazuaye’s cab using James’ brother’s phone on that date, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Beth Novy.

The co-defendant told James he wanted to rob the cab driver and James decided to take part because committing robberies was sexually arousing to him, Novy said.

The two men got into Obazuaye’s cab in the 0-100 block of West 91st Street in Princeton Park and the co-defendant pointed a gun at the driver and demanded his belongings, Novy said.

But Obazuaye, an unlicensed cab driver, resisted, locking the back car doors as he drove around looking for police, she said.

The co-defendant struck the driver in the head with the gun and James grabbed Obazuaye from behind, Novy said.

The two defendants tried to stop the car and attempted to break open a window to escape, according to Novy.

The co-defendant then fired one round, striking Obazuaye, Novy said.

The car came to a stop and the defendants escaped through a broken car window, she said.

After fleeing, James texted his brother and told him to get rid of the phone that was used to call the cab, Novy said.

Obazuaye was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center and succumbed to his injuries four days later, according to Novy.

James admitted to police that he was in the cab with the co-defendant at the time of the incident, Novy said.